On top of Searle Pass (12,034 feet) on the Colorado Trail Segment 8

Marcy and I left on our backpacking trip on Monday morning. We hiked 51 miles over four long days, completing Segments 8, 9 and 10 of the Colorado Trail. The first day was the toughest, gaining over 4,000 feet of vertical with full packs on. We didn’t find a campsite until after sunset so we were eating dinner in the dark that night.

Olive and I on the trail

Marcy did really well the whole trip. She is so strong and I slowed us down for the most part. Olive didn’t do that great, we have decided she is more of a day-hike dog. She loved being on the trail but whenever we stopped she was on high alert, never really relaxing. And she didn’t really eat, having only two meals (instead of a normal 8 meals) over the four days.

I am glad we did four days because by the fourth day I was starting to feel strong again. Except for one blister on my right big toe, my body held up really well. We are already planning next year’s trip, which will also likely be on the Colorado Trail.

Enjoying a celebratory beer after four days of hard work (Earned It IPA)

On Friday we picked up Jude from his camp. He didn’t really like it much this year, the people were not as fun and he thought the counselors were weak. The different sports were fun, though. They did rock climbing, mountain biking, stand-up paddleboarding, kickball, tubing and more. He was ready to get home when I picked him up.

Anna’s cabin mates at Geneva Glen (Anna is middle front row)

Anna, on the other hand, loved her camp. At 13 years old, she is considered a “senior” camper and as such has a less structured camp and is able to pursue what is most interesting. She did a lot of archery, softball and ropes. Marcy picked her up on Saturday morning.

Jude on the driving range

I decided to get to the driving range this weekend as I haven’t swung a club all year. Jude joined me and actually hit the ball pretty well.

The Avalanche win the Stanley Cup!

Jude and I don’t watch much hockey during the regular season but come playoff time we take a keen interest in the Avalanche. Both of us missed games 3 and 4 of the Stanley Cup finals because he was at camp and I was backpacking but we watched the other four games and were ecstatic that the Avs won tonight. It was super fun watching the playoffs with Jude the last couple of months.